LeeSaku (Rock Lee X Sakura)

Lee is not afraid to show his feelings for the beautiful Sakura, but Sakura is not so good at showing hers. She is confused about her feelings towards Sauske and Rock Lee. Can Rock Lee capture Sakura's heart before she is hurt even more by Sauske?

1. Damsel in Distress

Rock Lee was walking around one day after he got out of the hospital. Gaara had really beaten him up and it took the fifth Hokage to heal up his back from the horrible wounds he received during his battle. His back felt a new as freshly fallen snow and he felt as if he could take on the world! He was finally healed and it seemed like forever since he had been able to train again. He was walking along as if he owned the entire village.

A peculiar sight stopped Lee. The pink haired girl who he knew as the one he wanted as badly as he wanted to be the best ninja in the world. There she was, on the ground in front of a few ninja from a different village. He felt saddened as he saw her short hair. He missed the long beautiful pink locks that she had but to him, she was beautiful either way and he wanted her heart. The sight of her was horrid. She was beaten to a bloody pulp and she was struggling to stand.

Rock Lee tore off his leg weights and raced to her side. He was there in a flash as the men were about to converge on her once again. He flung his arms up in his familiar battle stance as soon as he reached the girl. The three ninja looked up at Lee, surprise lit on their face as clear as can be. Lee looked at Sakura who had fallen back to the ground, but she was looking up at Lee with wide eyes. She did not believe anyone would ever help her.

"If you want Sakura, you have to go through me!" Lee proclaimed loud and proud. Lee would not let any harm befall her anymore. She would never have to fight if she were to be his. He still remembered the first few times she turned him down, but now, she would see how serious he was for her.

"Look kid, you should just get out of the way. This girl is the one who needs to be punished for the things she said to us. She wants to be a little hero, well then let her try." The tallest one said, his smile a sick and sadistic thing that made Lee want to flinch but he would show no weakness to them. He punched fast and strategically, knocking the man to his knees and then he sent his elbow down to bash the man in the head. The smallest one of the group deflected Lee's attack from his leader, lashing out with his own fists as Lee countered.

"I will forever protect Sakura! I will protect her with my life!" Rock Lee had some trouble with the small one. He was almost as fast as himself. He kept deflecting but that's all he could do at the moment. Meanwhile, the other one started converging on Sakura, making Lee jump to her defense, knocking him to the ground and delivering a decisive blow. The man fell to the ground as the other two converged on Lee. They were sneering at him and as they neared, Lee flashed quickly to behind them, knocking their heads together, which was quite an impressive feat due to their height difference.

The two men fell, dazed, with their comrade who he had been knocked out before. Lee didn't want to fight against these men while he could see that Sakura clearly needed medical care badly. So, while they were dazed, he gently picked Sakura up, even through her loud protests. He dashed straight to the hospital as fast as he could go without hurting the girl. She eventually held onto him so he could speed up more.

He set Sakura down in a hospital bed as soon as they arrived. One of her eyes was swollen so bad, it looked as if a bee stung her. Her mouth was bleeding badly and she was covered in bruises and scratches. The sight of her made Lee cringe and he began to weep.

"I'm so sorry Sakura! If I had been there earlier, I could have stopped those men from hurting you." Lee said through his tears. Sakura looked at him, surprise lighting her face.

"I was trying to stop them from getting into the village." she said in a somber tone. The nurse had finally come in and began to treat the many wounds all over Sakura's body. Lee was mad that someone had gotten to his girl and hurt her as bad as this.

"You know you'd never have to fight if you would just be mine. I will always protect you no matter what Sakura. I will have your heart, I will prove myself to you." Lee said, taking Sakura's hand. Sakura took her hand out of his and turned to look out of the window, her gaze clouded and thoughtful.

"I just don't know Lee. I... don't really understand my feelings at the moment..." Sakura said in a sad, confused tone. He looked at her for a long time, then finally he walked to her bed, stopping just inches away.

"I want only you Sakura. I will prove to you that I can be a wonderful person for you to be with. I will work hard to make you mine and I won't ever give up. Nothing will stand in my way to protect you either way." Sakura turned to look at Lee but she saw only an empty space. In her heart, she knows that she likes him deep down, but she also cannot deny her feelings toward Sauske. Lee knows of her feelings towards Sauske, but he would not be deterred. She wondered briefly, what it would be like to be with him.